"We banned all funeral activities in Cape Coast because we want to give a befitting welcome to the US president.

"Obama is here for once and we must pay all attention to him."

Obama 'snub'

Other African countries have been disappointed that Obama is not visiting them, with Kenya's The Nation newspaper saying the US president had made a "public snub" to the country, considering that Obama’s ancestors were Kenyan.

But it said that the Kenyan government had sent out a wrong image to Obama, limiting any chance that he would come to the country soon.

"It is the view of every Kenyan, who is appalled by the inertia in government. Few things have been done to redress the past wrongs," the paper said, referring to deadly post-election violence last year.

In South Africa, people said Obama ought to visit their country to better understand the African continent as a whole.

"If he wants to know about Africa, he should come here," Paul Marume, a security guard in Johannesburg, South Africa, told the AFP news agency.

"I am disappointed he went to Ghana, first because everyone wants to meet [former president] Nelson Mandela ... Secondly, we play a central role in Africa in terms of conflict resolution."